CONVENTIONONWETLANDS(Ramsar,Iran,1971)

53rdMeetingoftheStandingCommittee

Gland,Switzerland,29 May – 2 June2017

SC53-15

ProgressonimplementingResolutionXI.6onPartnershipandsynergieswithMultilateralEnvironmentalAgreementsandotherinstitutions

Background

  1. ResolutionXII.3(2015) onEnhancingthelanguagesoftheConventionanditsvisibilityandstature,andincreasingsynergieswithothermultilateralenvironmentalagreementsandotherinternationalinstitutionsinstructed theSecretariattoreportannuallyonprogressinimplementingResolutionXI.6onPartnershipandsynergieswithMultilateralEnvironmentalAgreementsandotherinstitutionstotheStandingCommittee.
  1. Paragraph 41 of Resolution XII.3 requested the Secretary General to report to the 13th meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP13) on the opportunities for the Convention to further strengthen its contribution to the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as they relate to wetlands.
  1. Paragraph43ofResolutionXII.3instructed theSecretariattocontinueworkingtostrengthencollaborationwithIUCNWorldHeritageOutlook,UNEP,UNEP-GRID,UNDP,UNESCO,RegionalEconomicCommissionsoftheUN,theWorldBank,the WorldHealthOrganization(WHO),theWorldMeteorologicalOrganization(WMO),theUNFoodandAgricultureOrganization(FAO),TheGlobalEnvironmentFacility(GEF),theIntergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)andothers,andreportonprogresstotheStandingCommitteeandtheContractingPartiesonaregularbasis.
  1. TheSecretariatisalsorequested,inparagraph44,tocontinueitsworkwiththeBiodiversityLiaisonGroup(BLG)toenhancecoherenceandcooperationandtocontinueeffortstoimproveefficiencyandreduceunnecessaryoverlapandduplicationatallrelevantlevelsamongthebiodiversity-relatedConventions.
  1. ResolutionXII.7(2015) onResourceMobilizationandPartnershipFrameworkoftheRamsarConvention,inparagraph21,requested theSecretariattostrengthenpartnershipswithothermultilateral environmental agreements (MEAs)suchasinteraliatheUnitedNationsConventiontoCombatDesertification(UNCCD) and theConventiononBiologicalDiversity(CBD),inordertoenhancesynergiesandsharingofresources,avoidduplicationandenhanceimplementation,respectingthemandateofeachConvention,andrequested theSecretariattoprovidetotheStandingCommitteeatits51stmeeting(SC51)aplanonhowtoincreasecooperationwithotherMEAs,andto reportregularlyonitsactionstotheStandingCommittee.
  1. Resolution XII.7, in paragraph 14,requestedthe Standing Committee as a high priority task and with the committed assistance of the Secretariat and the Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP) to respond to the invitation from the Parties to the CBD to provide elements of advice, as appropriate, concerning funding of national and transboundary wetlands initiatives, that may be referred to the GEF through the Conference of the Parties to the CBD.
  1. Decision XII/30 of the CBD (2014) invited the governing bodies of the MEAs to provide elements of advice, as appropriate, concerning guidance on funding that may be referred to the GEF through the Conference of the Parties to the CBD.
  1. Accordinglythisreportcoversthemainactivitiesundertakenin line with Resolutions XI.6, XII.3 andXII.7, andspecificallythose activities undertheBLG and IPBES,andthe progressmadewithSDGs, MEAs, UNEP, andotherinstitutions.

WorkundertheBiodiversityLiaisonGroupandthescientificbodiesofthebiodiversity-relatedConventions

  1. TheRamsarSecretariathascontinuedtoparticipateinthemeetingsandjointactionsoftheBLGaccordingtoitsPlanforJointActivities.The Secretariat participated in the meetingoftheBLGinAugust 2016,in which key issues were discussed including:
  • Synergies among the biodiversity-related Conventions: Follow-up among the Conventions to the process initiated under CBD Decision XII/6, the Geneva workshop on synergies, recommendations of the first meeting of the CBD’s Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI-1), and expectations for COP17 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and COP13 of the CBD;
  • The BLG work plan for 2016/2017and next meetings;
  • The Second Meeting of the United Nations Environment Assembly: Outcomes of UNEA-2, and resolutions related to synergies;
  • Indicators and monitoring under the SDGs,including of SDG 6 by UN-Water;
  • The International Whaling Commission (IWC) and its contribution to the Strategic Plan forBiodiversity 2011-2020 and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets as well as to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs; and
  • IUCN’s World Conservation Congress (IUCN-WCC) held in Hawaii, 1-8 September 2016.

CBD’s Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice

  1. The STRP Chair attended the 20th meeting of the CBD’s Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA20).A number of themes of relevance to the Convention were discussed including: IPBES assessments, Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures, Invasive Alien Species, Disaster Risk Reduction and Restoration, and REDD+, among others.

IntergovernmentalPlatformonBiodiversityandEcosystemServices

  1. The STRP Chair attended the eighth meeting of the IPBES Multidisciplinary Expert Panel (MEP) from 25 to 27 October 2016 in Bonn, Germany. One finding from the meeting was the limited number of comments from the Ramsar community, including Contracting Parties, on the First Order Draft of the Land Degradation and Restoration (LDR) assessment. Of around 86 external LDR reviewers, only eight (including the STRP Chair) provided any comments on wetlands (see more detail in the Report of the STRP Chair, Doc.SC53-10).Contracting Parties are urged to encourage appropriate reviewers to provide input to the Second Order Draft that is expected to be available for review from 1 May to 21 June 2017.

Submission of proposals for the IPBES second work programme

  1. Ramsar Resolution XII.2 (2015) requested the Secretariat “to submit to IPBES a request for a thematic assessment on the current status and trends of wetlands, including their condition”. It is anticipated that IPBES-6 in March 2018 will be asked to approve a call for proposals for the second work programme. If that schedule holds, then the formal call for proposals will be issued shortly thereafter.
  1. It is important to note that Decision SC47-24 (2014) approved these interim guidelines for Ramsar submissions to IPBES. Accordingly, it is the Standing Committee that decides which proposal or proposals to submit to IPBES. As recognized in the interim guidelines, “Due to timing constraints, it is likely that the proposals will need to be presented to Standing Committee members virtually and approval or comments provided within a short period.”Therefore, the Ramsar Secretariat will work with the STRP Chair on a proposal to be submitted for approval by the Management Working Group of the Standing Committee prior to submission to IPBES.

Memorandum of Understanding with IPBES

  1. The Conference of the Parties in Resolution XII.3 instructed the Secretariat to continue working to strengthen collaboration with IPBES. In this regard, Decision IPBES-4/4 requested its Executive Secretary to finalize memoranda of cooperation with the secretariats of the individual MEAs related to biodiversity and ecosystem services. The resulting MOU has been discussed among both Secretariats and it has been submitted for the consideration and approval ofthe Standing Committee and the Management Working Group intersessionally. The Executive Team agreed at its meeting of 22-23 February 2017 to use this inter-sessional approval mechanism, given that the MoU is to be considered at the coming IPBES Plenary on 7-10 March.

Cooperation with other MEAs

  1. As indicated in the previous section, the Secretariat participates actively with other MEAs, and has concentrated efforts in line with paragraph 44 of Resolution XII.3.

Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals

  1. The joint work plan with the Convention of Migratory Species (CMS) was approved by CMS Standing Committee at its 45th Meeting in November 2016, and is included in Document 53-04.

Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds

  1. The Secretariat participated in the 6th session of the AEWA Meeting of the Parties (MOP6) held in Bonn, Germany, from 9 to 11 November 2015. The Ramsar Strategic Plan 2016-2024 was introduced to the participants and it was proposed that Ramsar and AEWA prepare and undertake joint projects for capacity building, and for site and species conservation and livelihoods.
  1. The Secretariat was consulted for the preparation for the new AEWA Strategic Plan. It highlighted the areas of strength and the areas that could be strengthened,as well as the effectiveness of AEWA’s contribution to the conservation of migratory waterbirds and the major issues on which it is best placed to focus. The Secretariat proposed that the Ramsar Regional Initiatives be involved in AEWA’s work in Africa, and shared relevant Ramsar Resolutions with the team of consultants.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

  1. The Secretary General met the Executive Director of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Hawaii to enhance collaboration.
  1. The Secretariat participated actively in the 22nd Conference of Parties (COP22) to the UNFCCC, including through the Secretary General´s intervention at the High Level Segment, the event on “Incorporating Blue Carbon into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement” and the launching along with UNEP, FAO and Wetlands International of the Global Peatlands Initiative, which aims to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by protecting peatlands.The Secretariat was actively involvedin the high level dialogues on “Water” and on “Leading the fight against Climate Change” as well as in the side events on “How do we Evaluate Adaptation Solutions in the Water Sector?”, “Wetlands and Peat – Understanding the Potential” and “Gender in Climate Policy”.
  1. The Secretary General also wrote a joint op-ed with the UNFCCC Executive Secretary, entitled Mother Nature vs. Climate Change,drawing attention to the important role of the Convention and restoration of ecosystems, and especially wetlands in mitigation and adaptation to climate change.

Convention on Biological Diversity

  1. The Secretary General met with the Executive Director of the CBD at the IUCN Conservation Congress in Hawaii to enhance collaboration. As a follow-up, the Secretariat organized a conference call with the CBD Secretariat to identify opportunities for strengthened collaboration including the review of the FourthRamsar Strategic Plan taking into account the outcomes of the review of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, in line withparagraph 26 of Resolution XII.2.
  1. The Secretariat participated in the 13thMeeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD (CBD COP13) in Cancun, Mexico.This offered the opportunity to raise the visibility of the Convention through the participation of the Secretary General in the High Level Segment and round tables on agriculture and fisheries, and the discussion on wetlands for disaster risk reduction in the Biodiversity and Climate Change Day at the Rio Pavillion.
  1. The Secretariat participated as a panellist in the side events on “Mainstreaming of Biodiversity into Agricultural Practice: Rice Paddy Resolution of the Ramsar Convention for Biodiversity Conservation Practice” organized by JICA,and on “Making Connections – InforMEA and the MEA Knowledge Management Initiative” organized by UNEP.
  1. The Secretariat also organized two side events, on Ramsar Regional Initiatives and on the 20th Anniversary of the Wetlands for the Future Fund, and participated in the contact groups’ discussions on financial mechanisms and cooperation with other MEAs.
  1. The Secretary General met the new Executive Secretary of the CBD, and many Ramsar National Focal Points attending CBD COP13 to discuss key implementation issues.
  1. At CBD COP 13,several Decisions were taken that are relevant to the Ramsar Convention and the BLG. Some of the most relevant are those regarding:
  • The financial mechanism (XIII/21);
  • Cooperation with other conventions and international organizations(XIII/24);
  • Strategic actions to enhance the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, including with respect to mainstreaming and the integration of biodiversity within and across sectors (XIII/3); and
  • Progress in the implementation of the Convention and the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and towards the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets (XIII/1).

Decision XIII/21 The Financial Mechanism:

  1. In response to Decision CBD XII/30, the Ramsar Secretariat sent a notification to Contracting Parties requesting to provide elements of advice, as appropriate, concerning the future funding of their national priorities, within the next phase of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Only very few responses were received. However, there was not follow up by the Secretariat to prepare the relevant documents for the Standing Committee so that it would provide elements of guidance on the priorities of the Convention to be included in the CBD decision on funding to the GEF.
  1. Despite efforts bythe Secretary General and some Contracting Parties at the CBD COP13 to provide existing guidance, and given the fact that the guidance could only be provided by the governance body, the CBD COP13 did not include the advice from the Ramsar Convention.
  1. In Decision XIII/21The financial mechanism, the Conference of the Parties to the CBD took note of the elements of advice received from CMS and the International Treaty for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, as well as the input received from CITES for consideration in the development of the four-year framework of programme priorities (2018-2022) for the seventh replenishment of the GEF Trust Fund. Elements and input that fall within the mandate of the GEF are reflected at a strategic level, in the four-year framework of programme priorities annexed to the Decision.
  1. The Conference of the Parties to the CBD invited the governing bodies of the various biodiversity-related Conventions, further to paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 of Decision XII/30, to repeat the exercise described therein for the development of strategic guidance for the eighth replenishment of the GEF Trust Fund in time for consideration by the Conference of the Parties to the CBD at its 15thmeeting.
  1. In this context,and given the relevance of the financial mechanism to support the implementation by Contracting Parties of the Strategic Plan 2016-2024, the Secretariat requests thatSC53 consider the transmission to the GEF through the CBD Secretariat of the elements of the Ramsar Strategic Plan (shown at Annex 1 of this document) that are aligned to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and the four-year framework of programme priorities (2018-2022) for the seventh replenishment of the GEF Trust Fund annexed to CBD Decision XIII/21. Although this is not within the CBD COP13 Decision, the Secretariat considers that this could inform the GEF of the alignment of the Ramsar Strategic Plan, the Aichi Targets and the four-year framework of programme priorities.

Cooperation with other conventions and international organizations:

  1. In Decision XIII/24 on Cooperation with other conventions and international organizations[1], the Conference of the Parties to the CBD welcomed options for enhancing synergiesamong the biodiversity-related Conventions at the national level and a road map for actions at the international level from 2017 to 2020, which are found at Annexes I and II to the Decision.
  1. The Conference of the Partiesinvited the governing bodies of the biodiversity-relatedConventions to further strengthen cooperation and coordination at the global level within their respective mandates and enhance synergies among themselves, to encourage mutually supportive decisions, pursue their efforts to align their own strategies with the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets, where appropriate, and to support implementation of the options for action by Parties and the road map contained in Annex II to the Decision.
  1. The Executive Secretary was requested, in consultation with the Liaison Group of Biodiversity related Conventions, to enter information missing from a table of desirable key actions associated with the road map for enhancing synergies at the international level from 2017 to 2020 contained in Annex II to the Decision, to specify a timeline for the various actions, and, where possible, to undertake the actions described in the table.
  1. The Conference of the Parties, furthermore, invited the secretariats of the biodiversity-related conventions, the governing bodies of the conventions, and the international organizations that provide the secretariats for these conventions to undertake, where appropriate and subject to the availability of resources, the actions foreseen in the road map.
  1. Accordingly, the Secretariat requests that the Standing Committee provide elements of advice with respect to the involvement of the Secretariat on the actions foreseen in Annexes I and II of CBD Decision XIII.24.

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

  1. Under the signed MOU, discussions are ongoing on possible areas of collaboration including contributing to the global assessment of each Convention i.e. the Global Land Outlook of the UNCCD and the Ramsar’sState of the World’s Wetlands report, national reports and possible collaboration on peatlands and capacity building.

Sustainable Development Goals

  1. The Secretariat has actively participated in the discussions of the SDG 6.6.1 target team meetings and in the meetings of the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators (IAEG-SDGs), in particular on the 4th IAEG-SDG meeting held in Geneva from 15-18 November 2016, and subsequent teleconferences.
  1. The inputs provided by the Secretariat have been included in thestep-by-step monitoring methodology for SDG indicator 6.6.1 “Change in the extent of water-related ecosystems over time”. However, the Secretariat has also proposed that efforts should be focused on one single indicator “% change in extent of water-related ecosystems over time” instead of a complex indicator which is difficult to achieve and interpret.
  1. With regards to the data source and verification,the Secretariat has indicated that the Ramsar Convention Contracting Parties have agreed to report to COP13 on “wetland extent” thus providing an established form of data as required by the UN Statistical Division. However, the current methodology includes aggregation of different sources and data, which would be difficult and probably impossible to verify by national authorities.
  1. Furthermore, the Secretariat has advised that it favours a methodology whichpromotes synergies among Conventions and international processes, especially at national level, to avoid duplication and burden to Contracting Parties.
  1. In spite of the central role of the Convention on indicator 6.6.1 Ramsar is currently included as an “other involved agency” and as one of various sources of data.
  1. The Secretariat has communicatedto UNEP the importance of Ramsar being aco-custodian with UNEP ofindicator 6.6.1, noting that Ramsar would take responsibility for wetland extent, which is already included in national reports for COP13.
  1. In order to ensure that the Ramsar Convention plays an appropriate role in this SDG, and that theefforts of Contracting Parties in carrying out inventoriesand reporting on the extent of their wetlands provide the basis for this indicator,the Secretariat proposes thatthe Standing Committee express a clear mandate of the responsibility of the Convention as provider of data on wetland extent,and also as co-custodian with UNEP ofindicator 6.6.1. This mandate would then be transmitted by the Secretariat to UNEP and other relevant agencies.
  1. As there are other indicators for which Ramsar has or will have data, the Secretariat has requested that Ramsar be included under “other involved agencies” for the following indicators: 6.5.1 “Degree of integrated water resources management implementation (0-100)”; 14.2.1 “Proportion of national exclusive economic zones managed using ecosystem-based approaches”; 14.5.1 “Coverage of protected areas in relation to marine areas”; and 15.1.2 “Proportion of important sites for terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity that are covered by protected areas, by ecosystem type”. UNEP would be willing to work with Ramsar to determine the best way to assess issues related to SDG 14.2 sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems, as an input into the comprehensive review of the SDG indicators which is scheduled to take place in 2020.

Actionstostrengthencooperationwiththe United Nations Environment Programmeandotherinternationalinstitutions